Hostages
by sLiCkEsT DiNo
Summary: Barry and Iris are at the CCPD when everyone there is taken hostage by three armed men, and it isn't long before things go awry...
1. Chapter 1

" _Hey, Joe. I got those test results you wanted from the crime scene. The report is complete if you want to stop by and pick them up."_

" _Great. I'll be there in about 15."_

Barry hung up his cell and placed it down on his desk that was stacked full of papers. He decided now was a good day to catch up on work since Team Flash hadn't had to deal with any metas for over a week now. ' _Taking the Holidays off'_ Cisco would joke.

Exhausted from the amount of paperwork he managed to finish in

such short time, Barry decided it was okay to treat himself to a nice plop in his comfy chair, and close his eyes to rest.

"Barry! Hey Barry! Wake up!" A woman's voice firmly whispered, tapping on Barry's shoulder.

Groggily, Barry rubbed his forehead and then fluttered his eyes open. "Oh. Hey, Iris. What's up?"

"Okay! Eeeh I'm so excited!" Iris clapped her hands and then continued. "CCPN put my article on the front page of the newspaper! _My_ article! It's so hard to believe!"

"No. No it isn't hard to believe. You are an incredible writer, and you know what? I'd say in your face, Mason Bridge. So, have you told Eddie yet?" Barry asked leaning in to give her a hug.

"Thanks, Barry, that means a lot, and no. I wanted to tell you first. You've been the one who's supported me on this."

A large smile stretched across Barry's face.

"What have _you_ been working on?" Iris sarcastically asked, staring at the stacks of papers overflowing his desk.

"What does it look like, Smartypants?" Barry replied chuckling.

"You must be extremely tired, and don't say I'm wrong considering I just caught you drooling." Iris rubbed Barry's back empathetically. "Why don't I take you to Jitters for some coffee? Get your energy level back up?"

Barry stared at her and smiled, "Thanks, that sounds great."

"Come on." Iris pulled Barry's arm up "assisting" him out of the chair.

"Is that really necessary, I'm tired, not elderly." He laughed.

"Come on humor m…" Iris was startled by a loud yell from outside Barry's lab. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah. Be quiet for a second." Barry said, slowly approaching the closed door and pressing his ear to it.

"I said everyone get down!" A man screamed.

"Barry? Who's that? What's going on?" Iris choked, worry etched on her face.

"Just a second. Stay here." Barry slowly opened the squeaky metal door and tiptoed down the hall.

"Barry! No wait!" Iris quietly caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"I SAID DOWN!" The voice boomed throughout the building. He was wearing a long black trench coat and a wide black hat masking most of his face. "Drake, round these stupid cops up into that corner. Everyone is going to give your guns to Drake, and if _any_ of you try to pull anything, you're getting a bullet to the chest."

Iris gasped and Barry covered her mouth.

The burly man continued, "Austin, check upstairs for anyone, and bring them down."

"On it." Austin replied and started his way up.

"Barry! What do we do? Barry!?" Iris squeaked, tears already starting to streak down her face.

"Come on." Barry grabbed Iris' arm and made their way back to his lab, locking the door.

"How can you be so calm?" Iris asked as he pushed her down behind one of his shelves and then pulled her into his embrace.

"It's okay, we're going to be okay." Barry comforted. Iris rested her head on his chest and hugged him tight.

Suddenly a loud _THUD_ emanated from behind the door and Barry knew he was trying to get in, and he eventually would if he didn't act fast. And fast was his specialty..


	2. Chapter 2

10 MINUTES PRIOR

"Hey, Joe. I got those test results you wanted from the crime scene. The report is complete if you want to stop by and pick them up."

"Great. I'll be there in about 15."

Joe leaned back in his seat and exited the STAR Labs parking lot. Although it was only a 5 minute drive to CCPD, he wanted to stop by the house first. Once again, Joe's phone rang and he swiped the screen to answer it.

"Hey sweetie, what's up?"

"I'm at CCPD. I have some really good news to share with you once you get back."

"I'll be there at around 11:45. I'm making a stop at the house and then I'm headed back."

"Okay. Great. Love you! Aww, Barry's sleeping. Poor guy, he works too hard sometimes."

"You don't know the half of it. See you soon, love you."

"Bye, Dad."

Joe once more hung up his cell and pulled up into his driveway. It only took a couple minutes to retrieve the granola bar he had been craving all day, before getting back into his police car, and heading over to CCPD to resume his duties.

Joe's eyes widened as he stared at the many cop cars all parked outside of the precinct, and all of the police officers tense and chatting. His eyes focused on one person - Singh. He made his way over to him, as a wave of panic rushed through his body.

"Captain? What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry, Joe. I was out on my lunch break when I got a call from dispatch saying there was.." David hesitated, not wanting to finish his sentence. "A few of the escaped convicts that we have been trying to track down, took over the police station. We have a negotiator on his way. For now, we can't do anything but sit and hope we don't hear any gunshots." David gripped Joe's shoulder.

"Barry and Iris?" Joe asked scanning his surroundings, hoping to see his two children somewhere.

Singh stood there for a moment, working his jaw. "They're also inside."

Joe wrapped his hands around his head and started pacing. "Well we can't wait on a damn negotiator! We need to get in there!"

"Joe, you know better than anyone that we can't risk him killing any hostages, including Barry and Iris. Right now nothing seems to have escalated, I promise we will get everyone out safely."

Joe walked over to an isolated area and took out his phone. It rang a couple times before Cisco picked up.

"Hey, Joe, what's up?"

"Barry, and Iris..Hell the entire CCPD has been taken hostage by the escaped convicts that we've been trying to find. Is there anything we can do? Or.." Joe quieted down to a whisper, "The Flash?"

"If Iris is in there as well, he may not want to risk giving up his identity to everyone. Has anything happened that would necessitate him exposing himself?" Cisco asked as sweat dripped down his forehead.

"No. At least I don't think so." Joe replied as his stomach twisted uneasy.

"I think we should trust that Barry knows what he's doing. I'm on my way over there. I'll let Caitlin know."

"God, let them be okay. Bye Cisco."


	3. Chapter 3

"Barry, he's trying to get in, what do we do?!" It didn't even dawn on Iris that she was hyperventilating until black spots danced in front of everything.

Barry pulled her away from his embrace and placed both hands on her cheeks. "I promise you, I am not going to let anything happen. Take a deep breath okay?"

"Deep breaths, yeah." Iris once again latched onto Barry who then secured her with his arm.

"I know you're in there!" The voice echoed from behind the metal door. He continued to bang on it with something a lot stronger than his fist and it wasn't long before it burst open, leaving Iris to scream uncontrollably.

"Well hello there you two. How about you get up and join the party downstairs?" Austin raised his gun and pointed it towards Barry. "Now."

"Barry. Barry!" Iris squeaked.

"Come on." Barry remained in control of his emotions as he stood, and pulled Iris up, once more latching on tight to her hand and walking slowly towards the red headed man.

"Barry." Iris continued to repeat his name, not looking for a response but using it to comfort her.

"Just listen to him. We'll…"

"Shut up!" The man bellowed and shoved Barry's back, causing Iris to scream and jerk tears. "Down the stairs. Let's go!" He continued.

"I see you found two upstairs." Drake observed. "Put them with the rest."

"Got it." Austin placed a hand on Barry and Iris' shoulder and firmly directed them to the corner of the room where everyone was huddled. "Sit." He ordered.

Iris did as instructed but Barry hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should make a move.

"I said down!" Austin once again shoved Barry, knocking him to the floor, and then made his way over to the third man who seemed to be the one in charge.

"Hey, you okay?" A man asked who was sitting behind Barry.

"Yeah. You?" Barry replied as he tightened his grip on Iris.

"Just peachy." He whispered. "I don't know what happened, everyone was just following their normal routine, and these lunatics barged in here waving their guns around."

"We'll be okay. I'm sure everyone is working on a way to get us out of this." Barry answered and then directed his gaze towards a shaky Iris. "You with me?"

A few moments passed and she looked into his eyes. "Yeah." Her tears had finally subsided, but her voice still quavered.

Barry wrapped his arm around Iris and then listened in to what the three convicts were saying.

"Do you think this is even going to work?" Drake asked, rubbing his neck in confusion.

"Shut up, dumbass. Vincent knows what he's doing." Austin sharply snapped back.

"That's right. We've got everyone where we want them to be. Once the negotiator arrives, we can begin."

It was Austin's turn to ask the question. "Do you think he knows we know?"

"Of course he doesn't. Now, both of you check the rest of the building for anyone hiding out." Vincent commanded, shoving them in different directions.

Barry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _What were they up to?_ His train of thought was interrupted by Iris' faint voice mumbling.

"Barry?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"If anything happens." Iris stopped just long enough to swallow the huge knot in her throat. "If anything happens, I want you to know that..." Iris paused again and stared into Barry's eyes.

"Iris. Nothing is going to happen I.."

Without warning Iris pressed her lips against his, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him in. A stunned Barry returned the kiss, resting his hand on her face.

Iris released her lips from their lock and mumbled, "Just know that I love you." She rested her head on Barry's shoulder and pulled him in tight.

"I….I love you too." he finally managed, as a smile stretched across his face.


	4. Chapter 4

The STAR Labs van pulled up next to Joe's car, and Cisco hopped out of the driver's seat, followed by Caitlin getting out of the passenger's side.

"Any updates?" Cisco asked running up beside Joe.

"And have you contacted Eddie?" Caitlin added on.

Joe smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot. He had the day off today. I need to let him know." Joe pulled his phone out of his pocket, and stepped to a quieter area by a large bush.

Singh walked over to greet Cisco and Caitlin.

"Hey you two. Here for Barry?"

"And Iris." Cisco responded, nodding his head.

"Has anyone gotten any word on what's going on in there?" Caitlin asked worriedly.

"No. We should be able to get more information when Stephen, our negotiator, gets here." Singh peered down at his watch and then finished. "Any minute now."

Almost as though it was on cue, a black chevy wheeled in to join the pile up of police vehicles. "Singh!" Stephen shouted, calling him over.

"Perfect timing." David smiled, and then made his way towards the stocky man.

Joe got off the phone and then returned to Cisco and Caitlin, who were nervously staring at the building.

"Joe, I meant to ask you, are these the same guys that The Flash..put away a couple months ago? I overheard one of the cops say their names were Austin, Vincent and Drake. Can't be a coincidence." Caitlin asked, still biting her lower lip as a nervous habit.

"Unfortunately, yes." Joe sighed.

"You don't think Snart told them who Barry was, do you? Their cells were awfully close to his." Cisco's heart began racing.

"Let's hope not or God only knows what could happen." Joe replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Joe! We need you over here!" Singh called.

"Sorry guys, you okay just standing here?"

"Yeah." Cisco and Caitlin responded simultaneously as Joe walked over to Singh and Stephen.

"So, we were discussing what to do. Should we go ahead and break out the megaphone, and try to talk to one of them?" Stephen asked Joe.

"I don't see the harm in finding out what their goal is." He answered.

"Should we try getting through to Vincent again? He was their boss the last time we took them down." David asked, crossing his arms and then looking at Stephen.

"Sounds like a plan."

Suddenly a gunshot went off and Cisco, Caitlin, Joe and David all stared at the building in horror as people started screaming.


	5. Chapter 5

15 MINUTES PRIOR

"What are they doing?" Iris asked Barry, who was still smiling.

"I'm not too sure. Whatever it is, just be grateful it isn't causing any harm."

"I'm sorry." Iris murmured lowering her head.

Barry looked at her confused. "For what?"

"Kissing you like that." She replied, swiping her hair behind her ear and blushing.

"I'm not." Barry responded, giving her a cheeky grin and then blushing himself.

"I've…" Iris stopped and looked around the room. "I've always had feelings for you, and I promised myself that when you got out of that coma that I would finally tell you, and then I started dating Eddie, and things just..happened."

"And now I would like to apologize to you." Iris shot him a confused look, and then he continued. "When I told you how I felt about you at Christmas, well, I shouldn't have. You were with Eddie."

"No. I'm glad you did."

They both looked at each other and smiled, happy that everything was finally out in the open. Iris continued to cuddle with him for comfort, and he held her tight.

"Finally." A woman behind them chuckled. Barry shot her a playful glare. "Well I'm sorry but even I could tell you loved each other, and I was in the next room!"

"The negotiator's here." Drake said, gazing out the window. "Remind me why we needed to wait for him?"

"Those guys are always easier to bribe, and once I do what needs to be done, I'm going to need to make a deal with him." Vincent responded, and then pulled out his gun. "You two stand behind me while I do my thing."

"Yes sir." Austin and Drake took a few steps back, and then quieted down.

"Everyone here knows who I am!" His voice thundered, bouncing off the walls, "But one of you knows me a little better.. Don't you, Flash."

Iris looked up at a wide-eyed Barry. "What is he talking about? The Flash isn't here." Iris questioned.

"I don't know. I guess he's confused?" Barry lied, shifting his weight uncomfortably as Vincent stared at him.

"So, Flash. Here's how it's going to play out." Vincent carried on, directing his comments towards no one in particular. Barry was grateful for that, but he knew that Vincent knew. "You, are going to come forward, and reveal yourself, or someone is going to get shot." Vincent pointed his gun at the crowd, scanning it back and forth. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide."

Everyone began chattering, asking questions like "Is he one of us?" or "Where is he." But Barry remained quiet, staring at the wall, still wide-eyed. Iris noticed his strange behavior.

"Bear. What's the matter?"

Once it registered that Iris was talking, he snapped out of his trance. "Oh, uh nothing. I'm just curious who this guy thinks The Flash is."

"Could he really be sitting in this crowd with us?" Iris looked around, trying to find a face that best suited (no pun intended) a superhero.

"I don't know, I think this guy is just a little bonkers." Barry said, coughing from his dry mouth.

"We were kind enough to give you a chance to reveal yourself. I guess we'll just have to give you a little jumpstart." Vincent growled through clenched teeth.

That's when the gun went off.


	6. Chapter 6

At first, no one knew who was shot, not even Barry. Everyone looked around the room, screaming and running around. The 3 criminals leaned against the far wall, and chuckled at all the confusion.

"Iris?" Barry asked, everything seemed muted to him, most likely from the gun's close proximity to his ears. "Are you okay?" Barry yelled, grabbing her hand.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little dazed. Where did he shoot?"

"I'm not to sure, I didn't catch him pulli-" A sharp burning sensation in his stomach caught Barry off guard. He gazed down and saw a large red stain growing through his shirt. "Oh." Was the only words that slipped his mouth before falling to the ground.

"BARRY! NO!" Iris shrieked dropping to the floor with him. A crowd gathered around Barry, as blood pooled on the floor. "You son of a bitch! What did you do!?" Iris screamed.

Though her yells were loud enough to rupture eardrums, they seemed muffled to Barry, as though someone shoved multiple cotton balls in his ears. His vision blurred, and he could feel himself slipping under, losing consciousness.

"Iris." Tears streaked down his cheeks. "Iris." He repeated.

"I'm right here, Barry. Stay with me okay? Don't die on me, you hear me?" Her eyes swelled and her tears flowed like a stream, plopping onto his blood-soaked shirt.

"Iris, I don't want to die." He said as his eyes fluttered closed.

"No, no, no, no! Barry come on! Wake up, open your eyes! Barry! You promised everything would be okay. Don't do this to me!"

"Everyone! Listen up!" Joe yelled over the loud panic that flooded the area. "Yes, a gunshot went off. This doesn't necessarily mean anyone was shot. Right now, I need Stephen to get on that megaphone, and try to communicate with one of them and see what's going on." Joe tried to stay confident on the outside, but on the inside, worry flooded every bone in his body.

"Roger that, detective." Stephen said.

"Joe?" Caitlin approached with red eyes. "Barry and Iris are okay, right?" Even though she knew Joe didn't know the answer, she needed someone to make her feel better. Cisco remained in the background, kneeling over and covering his face in his hands.

"I can't tell you for sure. All we can do is hope." Horrible thoughts continued to manifest as Stephen brought out the megaphone.

" _Vincent Reynolds! We would like to have a word with you. We have placed a walkie-talkie at the front of the door, and we would like it if you used that to communicate with us."_

It only took a mere 20 seconds before the door cracked open, and Drake swiftly grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Here you go, sir." Drake said, handing the walkie over to Vincent.

" _This is Vincent speaking. What do you want?"_

" _What was the gunshot about?"_

" _You want to know that information, I want $10,000 in a dufflebag at the front of the door._

" _If you shot someone, we need to get them medical attention before they bleed out. They'll be long dead before we can muster up that kind of money."_ Stephen reasoned.

" _Fair enough. I'll settle for $5000. Better get moving."_

" _Wait.."_

Vincent turned off the walkie-talkie and handed it back to Drake.

"Do you really think they can gather up that amount of money before he dies?" Austin asked, pointing at a limp Barry.

"No. That's what all the fun is about."

(I'm having some difficulty figuring out where to go from here, so ideas would be nice. Where would you like to see it be taken?)


	7. Chapter 7

There wasn't anything Iris could do to help Barry now, instead she found herself lying on his chest crying, hugging him tight.

As though a miracle took place, Barry's droopy eyelids slowly flittered back open.

"Iris?" Just saying that one word sent him choking on the blood that filled his mouth.

"Barry?" Iris sniffed, wiping her face from all the tears that soaked it. "That's it, open your eyes. I know it hurts bu…"

"It doesn't." He interrupted. "I can't feel anything."

Someone gasped in the background and mumbled under her breath "That's not good."

"Just keep your eyes fixed on me, okay?" Iris tried to stay strong for Barry, but she could feel herself rapidly losing control of her emotions.

Unfortunately, as though Barry didn't hear her at all, his world began to fade to black once more.

"So we're just going to let him die? We're burglars, not murderers. I would rather not be sentenced for life in jail." Drake moaned.

"You aren't going back to jail, once they get the money to us, were running." Vincent answered.

" _Vincent, please turn on your walkie."_ Stephen boomed through the megaphone.

" _What do you want?"_

Are you sure you want to do this, Caitlin?" Joe confirmed before letting Stephen continue.

"Definitely." She replied, more confident than ever.

" _The $5000 is on it's way, but it's going to take longer than we hoped. We would like to trade our doctor for one of the hostages."_

Vincent thought about it for a moment.

" _Who says anyone's been shot?"_ He played.

" _Please. At least tell us who."_

" _Alright. I will trade a hostage for a doctor, and because I'm feeling extra good, I shot.."_

The crowd went silent.

" _I think the young girl screamed Barry?"_

"NO!" Cisco yelled. Caitlin started up crying again, and Joe stood there in shock.

"Joe.. Joe.." Caitlin choked.

" _Go ahead and send her in and you can expect a hostage to be leaving shortly."_ Vincent finished and then once again turned off the walkie.

"Okay Caitlin. You ready?" Singh said, still wide-eyed from imagining his dorky CSI being shot.

"Yeah." This time she responded with less certainty from before.

Stephen guided her up the stairs and knocked on the door. Immediately, Drake opened it and pulled her inside.

"Now." Vincent started, "Which one of you gets to go free?"

Iris ignored him and stayed latched to Barry's side, feeling relief every time she felt a breath.

"You seem to have been through a lot. How about you?" Vincent grabbed Iris' arm ripping her up from Barry.

"No! No! No! I'm not leaving him!" She screeched.

Austin grabbed her other arm, and together the two lifted her flailing body and pulled her down the hall towards the door.

"Iris!" Caitlin screamed, and then quivered when she saw the amount of blood on her clothes.

"You can't take me away from him! NO! Please!" Iris continued to beg, scratching at his arms unaffecting him. "Barry!" She finally broke down into tears as the door opened and she was thrown out of the building. "No! Let me in! I can't leave him!" Iris banged on the door and then was startled when a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Let's get you to your dad." Stephen said, and pointed to Joe who was bawling from relief.

"I can't..I can't leave him." She sobbed.

"Iris!" Cisco shouted as Joe and him ran up to her, pulling her into their embrace.

She stood there paralyzed.

Joe pulled her back, looking at the amount of blood that was drenching her clothes.

"Is.. is.. that Barry's?" Tears fell down Joe's face and Cisco just stared.

"That's..a lot of blood." Cisco finally managed to pipe up.

Iris once again fell to her knees crying, she couldn't lose him, but somehow, in the back of her mind, she already knew she did.


	8. Chapter 8

"He's in here." Drake mumbled to Caitlin and then knocked her to the ground where everyone else was.

Caitlin scanned the room, and then noticed the group of people huddling around an unconscious body.

"Oh God! Barry!" She scooched over to him, and the crowd backed up. Immediately, she began applying pressure to the wound, not sure if it would do any good now that a fifth of his blood was already on the floor. "Barry? Can you hear me?" Caitlin looked up and locked eyes with the young woman who had just recently congratulated Iris and Barry for finally kissing. "What's your name?"

"Caroline." She instantly replied as though she expected that question to be asked.

"Caroline, is there a med kit somewhere? He's gone into hypovolemic shock, and unless I can slow this bleeding, we're going to lose him."

Caitlin knew that the only way she would get through this, was if she locked herself into doctor mode and didn't see Barry as Barry, but just another patient.

"Can someone please get me a blanket, or something I can use to keep him warm?" A man quickly responded by taking off his fleece coat and handing it to her.

"Will this work?" He asked, trying to avoid looking at all the blood.

"Yes, thank you."

Moments later, Caroline came running back into the room with a med kit in hand.

"Here." She said, placing it down next to Caitlin's side and then backing up into the crowd.

"Thank you." Caitlin said and then opened it. There wasn't much to work with considering this particular one was meant for minor cuts and scrapes, not fatal bullet wounds, but she did the best she could.

Caitlin sifted through it and pulled out an ace bandage and all the gauze that was in there. "Can someone help me?" She asked, once more looking up at the crowd and hoping that at least one person was okay with blood.

"I can." An elderly man knelt down on Barry's other side and made eye contact with Caitlin.

"I need you to hold this gauze on the wound, and apply as much pressure as you can." Caitlin stacked multiple dressings on top of one another and then gave it to him. "After that I'm going to wrap it with this bandage, and hopefully that will provide enough pressure to slow the bleeding." She picked up the ace bandage roll and began to unravel it while the man did as instructed.

Caitlin, slipped the bandage under Barry's back and wrapped it on top of the gauze. She repeated this until she was satisfied.

"This is all I can do for him." Caitlin's voice cracked as a tear slipped down her cheek. "He needs a blood transfusion." She grabbed Barry's pale, cold hand and squeezed it. "Just hang on a little longer, Barry."

Much to her surprise, Barry managed a small squeak, acknowledging her presence.

"Hey, Bear. We're going to get out of this soon, okay? I promise." Caitlin's voice quavered with little confidence in the words she'd just spoken, and finally, the tears she had been holding back broke free and she started to sob.

 **(Sorry for the delay. I lost track of it, but I'm back now! You can be expecting another chapter today fairly soon. I want to thank everyone for all the support I'm getting. It really motivates me to keep writing. Especially you, Dreaming Dragon! XD)**


	9. Chapter 9

Joe held onto Iris tight, and Cisco did the best he could to comfort her in some way. She was pretty shaken up.

"I..I don't know what happened." She choked, pulling away from Joe to talk to them. "I saw the gun pointing at me. It was going to be me who was shot, and then it went off and when I opened my eyes I was fine. Then moments later Barry collapsed."

Joe and Cisco looked at each other, knowing that Barry must have sped in front of her.

"Why hasn't The Flash showed up!? Where is he, Dad?" Iris seemed less sad now, and more angry. "He's supposed to be there for us why hasn't h-" Iris stopped talking, and her eyes grew wide. "Vincent. He said that The Flash was in there with us."

Once again Cisco and Joe swapped glances, worried she had caught on.

Iris continued. "Barry, said that he was probably wrong, but what if he was he wasn't. What if The Flash was actually in there, without his suit?" Iris turned to Cisco, hoping that the genious would have an answer but instead he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Iris, I mean don't you think he would have done something if he was in there?" That's when Cisco realized he made a huge mistake. Saying those sort of things would only hint at who he was.

"Unless…" Iris paused as her hand slowly covered her mouth.

"Iris?" Joe said, rubbing her back.

Cisco chewed his nail while he stared at the now human statue. She didn't even twitch. She just stood there, as though a million things were being processed in her head and moving would cause her body to overload.

A tear streaked down Iris' cheek, and this time it wasn't because the love of her life was bleeding out. It was a tear of confusion, of excitement, of sheer disbelief.

"A couple of weeks ago.." Iris finally said. "I came to Barry with all of my theories on how these superhumans were created. Including The Flash. I asked him if it was possible if the particle accelerator was the reason for all of this, and he replied by saying it couldn't be because he didn't have powers."

"That's right." Cisco lied and then Iris glared at him.

"He.. he does. Doesn't he? He's The Flash." Iris found herself swallowing back tears. How could she not have seen it. Their little rendezvous in Jitters. All along it was her best friend.

Cisco lowered his head in guilt. "Yeah."

"We didn't tell you because we didn't want you getting in the middle of all the things The Flas- Barry has to deal with."

"I understand." She choked. "But now, our hero is in there, bleeding out. The man that I…" Iris paused when she saw Eddie get out of his car.

"Iris! Oh my God are you hurt? Where did all this blood come from. What happened? Where's Barry!?" He pulled her into his arms but she didn't return the hug. It wasn't like Barry's embrace. She didn't feel safe, she didn't follow along to the rhythm of his chest going in and out. The truth was she never did.

Iris pulled back from him and then spoke. "It's..Barry's. He was shot and he's still in there."

"What? Joe we have to do something!"

"There isn't anything we can do. Until our officer comes back with the $5000 they're requesting, all we can do is sit and hope that Caitlin was able to help him.

That broke Iris. She dropped to her knees and cried like she was going to die, and it almost was, if she lost Barry a part of her would die. Just Barry being in that coma nearly sent her spiraling down a path of depression.

"Iris. Hey. I know he's like family, but we can get through this. Together." Eddie wrapped an arm around her, but to his surprise she swatted it off. "Iris?" Eddie said, puzzled.

"I can't." She sobbed, lifting her head up from her knees and staring into his confused eyes.

"Can't what? What's wrong?"

"Can't..be with you."

Eddie's eyes stung. Something inside of him always knew that her heart wasn't with him, but a wave of shock still washed over him. "Barry. Right." he stood up and walked over to Singh.

Cisco and Joe knelt down beside her.

"You've finally admitted to yourself that you have feelings for him?" Joe's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I kissed him." She muttered under her hands. "I love him."

A large grin stretched across Cisco's face. "I knew it!" His smile slowly faded back down to nothing when he remembered that Barry was still inside.

"Joe!" Singh called, waving him over. Joe walked over to Singh, and then shot Eddie an apologetic look, before facing Singh. "Good news, the money is here."

"Great. Let's get my son out."

Singh gave Joe a nod of agreement and then let Stephen know it was time.

 **(I'm going to start writing another story. If you're interested in it, the first chapter should be out within the next few days.)**


	10. Chapter 10

Barry's wound had finally clotted, and the bleeding stopped. He was in and out of barely being conscious, but it was enough to keep Caitlin's hopes up. She continued her tight grip on his hand, and smiled when he would squeeze her hand back.

"You've always been strong, Barry, and I admire that. All you need to do is keep that strength up for a little longer and we'll be out of this."

Even though she had been sitting with him for a little over 45 minutes, it only just became clear to Barry that it was Caitlin sitting beside him, and not Iris.

"Cait?" Just that one word sent him into a coughing frenzy from the blood that pooled in his mouth.

"Shh. Don't talk. Glad to see you can though." A sigh of relief came from the group of people circled around Barry.

"Where's...Iris?" Barry's voice was coarse, like he had a really bad sore throat.

"They traded me for her so I could treat your wound to the best of my abilities. She's with Joe." Caitlin gave Barry a warm smile, and continued to hold his hand, which had gotten some color back in it.

"And?" He croaked.

"I only had a med kit available, but it got the bleeding to stop."

Barry smiled.

"You..still need a blood transfusion. I don't know how much longer you'll be able to last.." It was hard for caitlin to talk like that, but she needed him to know. "It helps that you're…" Caitlin quieted down to a whisper."...a speedster with regenerative capabilities, and that's keeping you above water right now, but.." Barry squeezed her hand, and locked eyes with her.

"I know." He said with a comforting tone.

Caitlin was relieved that he stopped her. She didn't want the tears she was holding back to start spilling. She needed to stay strong for him.

" _We have your money, Vincent!"_ Stephen boomed through the megaphone. Vincent picked up his walkie and responded.

" _Good. It's in a dufflebag at the front door?"_

" _Yes. Now let our officers out, and let us get Barry to a hospital."_ Stephen's patience was thinning.

" _We're almost there, detective, but I still want one more thing from you."_

Stephen let out a sigh, and Joe cursed under his breath.

" _And what might that be?"_

" _I want all of your officers, to assure me that I can leave safely, if not, I will aim for Barry's head. Do we have an agreement, Stephen?"_

" _Give us a moment."_ Stephen turned off his walkie, and faced Joe and Singh. "So?"

"Here's what's going to happen." Singh piped up. "We are going to do what they ask, get everyone to safety, and then we'll have a unit track them down and arrest them. Got it? Joe you with me?"

"Sounds like a plan. Joe agreed and then quieted down so Stephen could continue negotiating.

" _We'll do it."_

" _Great. We'll see to it that Barry is unharmed but for safety purposes.."_ Vincent's walkie turned off as the doors to the precinct opened.

"Oh. My. God." Cisco gasped in horror.


	11. Chapter 11

Iris stood paralyzed watching in disbelief as Drake and Austin carried an unconscious Barry down the steps. His feet dragged across the cement, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

"Barry!" Caitlin screamed from inside.

"Drop him!" Joe yelled, pointing his gun towards Vincent who was lifting up the duffle full of money. He raised his hands in a defensive manner and said, "No, no, no, detective. We had a deal. You have to let us go."

"You aren't taking Barry. Put him down!" Joe's voice cracked and his eyes began to burn.

"It's just as a safety measure detective. We will see to it that Barry is returned, we just need to make sure you stick to your end of the deal." Vincent, Drake and Austin all walked towards one of the police vehicles. "We're going to borrow this." Eddie backed away from the car as they put Barry into it.

Everyone knew that they couldn't do anything, or he would shoot him, so they just stood still, watching as Vincent drove away with Barry in the backseat.

"NO!" Iris shouted, tears blurring her vision. "Dad! Do something!"

"Iris, we can't. They'll kill him if we do."

"So what do we do now?" Cisco piped up, stepping beside Iris.

"Now, we get Caitlin and the rest of them out and let them call their families. I'm sure all of them are worried sick."

"And considering all of the news vehicles that are surrounding us, there is no doubt that they know what's going on." Cisco added, as he headed towards the building to retrieve Caitlin.

Just as Cisco was about to open the door, Caitlin opened it for him, and popped her head out.

"Cisco. Oh God. Where's Barry!?" Her voice was trembling with fear and Cisco pulled her into a hug.

"Let's address that when we get you cleaned up. You're a mess." Cisco tried to lighten the mood, and it did a little, but she was still worried about Barry, and if he could hang on long enough for them to find him.

Caitlin and Cisco walked over to Iris and Joe.

"Iris. How are you holding up?" Caitlin asked empathetically.

"Um..not...not my best." Iris held onto her dad's side. Hoping to seek the comfort she needed.

"If it makes you feel any better, Barry's bleeding has stopped. The wound finally clotted."

"It does, but he's still injured and in the hands of a bunch of phychos." Iris bluntly stated.

"Try to stay positive, babe." Joe said giving her a nudge. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Cait." He added.

"Me too." Cisco piped up, still hugging Caitlin tight.

"Don't squeeze the life out of m-" Caitlin stopped when she saw Iris begin to cry again. "Oh my God, Iris, I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that."

"It's fine. I just need some space." Iris ran off toward a more secluded area, and sat down to bury her face in her knees.

Joe's phone rang.

" _Hello?"_

" _Good. Glad you answered so quickly, detective."_

" _Vincent." Joe growled through clenched teeth. "Where's my son!"_

" _Nice to see we're on the same page. Barry is in the alley at the corner of Spruce and Liberty. Drive safe." The line went dead._

"Joe? What'd he say? Where's Barry? Is he okay? Do they still have him?" Cisco asked. His palms were sweaty from nervousness. He was hoping Joe's answer would be positive.

"They dropped him off in an alley near the corner of Liberty and Spruce. You stay here with Iris. Caitlin, I could use you."

"Yes, sir." Caitlin quickly replied and then followed Joe to his car. Cisco walked over to Iris to explain the situation.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry it took so long for me to update, I started a new story and wanted time to work on it. This chapter actually has the most words in it, but it seems considerably shorter. I think you'll like the twist at the end. Enjoy! XD**

Joe's car squealed to a stop when they reached their destination, and they bolted from the vehicle towards the alley.

"I found him!" Caitlin screamed from beside a dumpster. "Oh God he doesn't look good, Joe. We need to get him to STAR Labs immediately."

Joe slid one of his hands under Barry's legs, and the other under his back, and lifted him up.

"Open the door for me, Caitlin." Joe was in full panic mode, but he remained composed on the outside.

Barry moaned in pain, but continued to stay still.

"I need to call Cisco. We can't waste any time, once we get to STAR Labs I need everything ready for me."

"Hang in there, Barry."

Caitlin picked up her phone and dialed Cisco.

" _Cisco I need you to get to STAR Labs and have my medical equipment prepped. Get a crash cart at the ready. You've seen me do it enough times to know the basic supplies that I need. I also need you to get 5 units of blood ready for me to transfuse-"_

" _Wait blood? Where am I going to get that?"_

" _How have you never noticed the bags of blood I keep in the refrigeration unit in the med bay?"_

" _How many is 5 units?"_

" _5 bags. Now move it."_

Caitlin hung up the phone.

"Okay, Iris. They found Barry. We need to get to STAR Labs and prep the med bay for when he gets back, okay?" Cisco stated.

Iris nodded but didn't have the strength to talk from the amount of crying she was doing. Cisco pulled her arm up and helped her off the ground, and then headed for the van.

It was Joe's turn to pick up his phone, he handed it to Caitlin and told her specifically what to do and say. "Here. I need you to dial Captain Singh and have him go ahead and have a team start searching for Vincent and his minions. We need their faces on the news, and everyone looking out for them. Got it?"

"Yeah."

It took a good 20 minutes before they made it back to STAR Labs, and fortunately, Cisco was already there and had everything prepped and ready to go.

"Come on, come on. Stay with me Barry." Caitlin checked his pulse as everyone rushed into the cortex and headed to the med bay. It was weak, but it was there.

It took a good 10 minutes of cleanup and prep before Caitlin could retrieve the bullet, and stitch him up, which took another 30 minutes, but finally he was done. She wrapped a bandage around him, to keep his stitches in place, and finally, she was able to call everyone in to check up on him.

"Guys." Everyone stood up from their seats and listened intently to Caitlin. "He's stable, but I found this in his leg." Caitlin held out a syringe on a metal tray. "I tested the liquid that was inside it, and it's some sort of speed dampening serum, meaning he isn't going to be rapidly healing."

"How long until his speed kicks back in?" Joe asked, rubbing his temple.

"I'd say maybe 12 to 24 hours. It was a big dosage that they injected him with." Caitlin's gaze fixed on Iris, who was ready to ask another question.

"How long until he wakes up, and why isn't he waking up?" Iris was the most composed she'd been in a while, but her voice still trembled.

Caitlin's lower lip quivered, hinting that something was wrong. "Um. He.." She paused and tilted her head back trying to keep her tears in. "He lost a lot of blood, which deprived his brain of oxygen. This is known as.. cerebral hypoxia. Luckily, his oxygen supply wasn't completely cut off, but he has probably suffered from some temporary and possibly even permanent brain damage. I don't know for sure. I'm..I'm sorry." Caitlin started to cry, finally allowing herself the tears that she worked so hard to keep in.

Cisco held onto Caitlin tight, trying to comfort her as his own tears slid down his cheeks. Iris remained still, as did Joe. Both of them staring at the still Barry laying on the bed. Listening to the steady beeps assuring them that his heart was working.

"I'll be able to know the full extent of damage that has been done once he wakes up." Caitlin walked Back over to Barry, squeezing Cisco's hand tight.

Iris ran out of the room and Joe followed.

"Is he.." Cisco paused not wanting to go down that road, but he needed to know. "Is he in a..a..coma?"

To his horror, Caitlin slowly nodded her head, and then buried her face in his shoulder, jerking tears.


	13. Chapter 13

Joe followed a sobbing Iris out of the cortex and found her curled up in a ball against the wall.

"Hey, sweetie." Joe knelt down beside her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be okay. Barry's strong."

Iris looked up at her dad. Her red puffy eyes matching her cheeks. "When..he was in.. that.." Iris swallowed hard, pushing back her tears. "When he was in that coma, for 9 months I thought I had lost him, 9 months I prepared myself for the day that the doctors would pull the plug. Everyday, I promised myself that if he ever woke up, I would tell him how I felt, and then Eddie came into the picture, he helped me get through it, helped me get passed the sadness. Then a miracle happened, and I watched Barry walk right into Jitters with the same smile he had on his face the day that lightning struck, the same happy Barry, like nothing ever happened, and I was with Eddie."

Joe let a tear run down his face. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Iris shrugged her shaky shoulders. "Because I really did love Eddie but.."

"You loved Barry more." Joe finished.

Cisco and Caitlin spent a good 5 minutes crying, holding onto one another, before Cisco pulled away.

"Cait, we have to tell them." He said wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"I know. I just don't have the heart. They already went through so much the first time, I can't do that to them again." Caitlin took in fast jerky breaths trying to calm herself.

"Cait." Cisco placed a hand on her shoulder and locked eyes with her. "You know you have to. We'll do it together, okay?"

Caitlin nodded her head and wiped the smudged mascara out from under her eyes, as they walked out of the cortex.

"Guys. We need to talk." Cisco said to Joe and Iris with a melancholy tone.

"It's about Barry." Caitlin added, grasping Cisco's hand tight.

Joe and Iris stood up.

"Is Barry okay? Is something wrong?" Iris questioned twiddling her fingers in worry.

"Caitlin?" Joe said after a few moments of silence.

"Cerebral Hypoxia can lead to many things like memory loss.." Caitlin was stalling it hurt her too much for her to say it. "...decrease in motor coordination, poor judgement, inattentiveness.."

"Caitlin!" Joe snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Cut to the point."

"..and it can also cause someone to slip into.."

"No. No. No. Not again! Don't you say it Caitlin! Don't you dare say it!" Iris snapped. Panic bubbling inside her.

"A coma." Cisco finished. He had to finish. Letting it out was the best thing to do for everyone.

"Oh God. No." Joe leaned against the wall, gripping onto the back of his neck.

"He has to wake up. I can't go through this again!" Iris stormed out of the hall and into the med bay where a limp Barry laid on the bed. "Barry? You have to wake up, okay? You need to wake up for me." She cupped her hands on his cheeks. "Please." She squeaked. Her face scrunched up as tears blurred her eyes. "Barry come on! Dammit wake up!" Iris slapped her hand down on his chest. "Wake up, dammit! Wake up!"

"Iris." Cico walked in the room. "That isn't helping anyone." He pulled her gently away from the bed.

"NO! He has to wake up! Barry!" Iris was completely melting down. She could hardly breathe, and Cisco wrestled with her to calm her down.

Cisco finally won and he held her head against his chest.

"I can't lose him, Cisco. I can't." She mumbled. Her voice trembled but the tears had finally subsided.

"I know. You just have to have a little faith. I bet 50 bucks that in 3 days he will be running around again."

Iis could tell what Csco was trying to do, and it worked, she smiled for the first time in a while. She straightened out her clothes, dried her eyes and responded. "I'll go with 100 in less than a week."

"No. You have to pick a specific day!" Cisco glared.

Iris looked at him with the puppy dog eyes she was always so good at executing.

"Ugh. Fine. Feeling up to some Big Belly Burger? You haven't eaten since this morning." Cisco offered.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit with Barry. Thanks for the offer, and the smile. I needed it."

"Hey. That's my specialty." He grinned and then walked out of the room. Iris returned her gaze to Barry. She watched his chest rise and fall and rise and fall. It wasn't long before sheer exhaustion took over and she fell asleep. Holding onto Barry's hand and resting her head on his chest.


	14. Chapter 14

"Iris. Wake up." Caitlin gently tapped her shoulder.

Iris blinked from being blinded from the bright light that flooded the med bay.

"Hey, Caitlin." She moaned as she tried to roll the crick out of her neck.

"This is the second day in a row that you've slept here over night. It isn't healthy. Maybe you should head home and go sleep in your bed for a little bit."

"I go home when Barry goes home." That was the same line that Joe once told Iris the first time they were in this situation.

"What would Barry say to you right now?"

Iris thought about it for a moment, and then lowered her head like a kid that's been caught in a lie. "That he wasn't worth my suffering and that he'll be fine."

"And.."

"And he would force me to go home." Iris chuckled softly. "He's such a stubborn guy." She turned around, and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"So if you aren't going to listen to a doctor's orders, listen to Barry. Do it for Barry."

"So you're pulling that card, huh?" Iris smiled and let out a sigh. "Fine! But you don't get to pull the Barry card for a whole year!"

"That's quite alright with me. Now go on." Once Iris was out of the cortex, Caitlin sat down beside him. She hadn't said much to Barry, and even though it hadn't been scientifically proven, she liked to believe that he could hear her. "Hey, Bear. We miss you." She patted his hand and continued. "I..uhh brought some science articles for you. I think they might interest you, they're about.." Caitlin looked down at the cover and then back up. "Scientists have created a supplement that helps produce dehydrogenase in your body, and clear it of ethanol quicker. **(1)**. I was thinking that you could somehow reverse engineer this in some way so that we might actually be able to get you drunk. I've never seen drunk Barry. I'm sure he would be a blast." Cailin was startled by a faint knocking on the wall.

"Knock knock." Cisco said. "How's our hero doing?"

"The same. His vitals are weak like with any comatose person, but they're stable."

"Can we call it.. a deep sleep? Saying coma just gives me a case of the sadness." Cisco bit down into a Red Vine, and then took another one out of his pocket. "Hey Barry. I know you like Red Vines, if you want one, you'll have to wake up." He rubbed it under his nose, and then frowned when there was no response. "What's it like when you're.. Sleeping Beauty? Do you dream? Can you hear us?"

Caitlin scanned Barry's face and then winced. "We need to shave him. Bearded Barry is not his best side."

"Cait." Cisco said.

"Hmm."

"Why do you think he woke up last time?"

"He just did. It happens."

Cisco nodded slowly, and then picked up the article that was on his desk. "Dehydrogenase? What's that."

"Barry can explain it to you when he wakes up." Caitlin reassured Cisco confidently.

Cisco nodded his head, and then went back to his computer.

"So, Barry.." Caitlin continued. "What's it like being a speedster?" Caitlin stared at him for a moment, holding onto his hand and rubbing circles with her thumb. She wanted so badly for him to just get up and start talking. But he didn't. Caitlin let out a sigh. "Fine. We're going to play the silent treatment." Tears started to cloud her vision. "You know the streets need The Flash." She stood up and left the room, she needed to be strong for him, and crying wasn't going to help.

"Are we going to tell Henry?" Cisco piped up from his computer.

"I want to wait a few more days before we worry anyone else." Caitlin said.

And a few more days did pass, a week, two. Iris stayed with him regularly talking to him about all the things she loved about him, all of the stupid things her coworkers did, everything that she could think of.

"Hey, Barry. I miss you. I really need you to wake up, okay?" Iris whined. She leaned over a planted a small kiss on his lips and then sat back down, gripping his hand tight. That's when she felt it, a small squeeze of her hand. "Barry? Caitlin, Cisco, Dad!" Everyone ran in the room room alerted by Iris' call.

"Iris what is it?" Joe asked, but they didn't need an answer from her, they watched as Barry's eyebrows furrowed, as he slowly fluttered his eyes open.

"Barry! Oh my God you _are_ Sleeping Beauty!" Cisco quipped, excitement rushing through him.

Caitlin shot him a confused look.

"Well she kissed him, and he woke up." Cisco chuckled and then returned his gaze to Barry.

"Wha.. where am I?" Barry slurred.

"You're in STAR Labs." Caitlin said, bringing a light up to his eyes. Barry smacked her hand away.

"Who are you?"

Everyone swapped glances, a heavy weight sinking to their feet.

"Barry. Hey, it's Iris." Iris gripped his hand and he pulled away.

"Who are you!?" Barry asked again, tears of fear sliding down his cheeks.

 **(1) Just in case you were curious, Alcohol Dehydrogenase is an enzyme that breaks down ethanol in your body. Ethanol is the chemical in alcohol that gets you drunk. You connect the dots.**

 **So. There you go! I would estimate that there are about 2 chapters left. If you want to read more by me, I've written 4 chapters of another story that I have started. The first chapter should be out soon after this one finishes up.**

 **See you soon!**

 **-Slickest Dino XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**This is the last chapter! NOOO! I apologize for the wait. I was having trouble figuring out how to execute it. I'm so sorry that this one isn't the best.**

 **Either way, try to enjoy. XD**

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, Barry. You're with family." Cisco attempted to reassure him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know you!" Barry snapped as a tear slid down his cheek.

Caitlin looked around, watching as Cisco wrestled with Barry, watching Barry screaming and crying for someone to tell him what was happening, and watching Joe as he remained paralyzed in a corner. "Barry?" Caitlin approached and took a seat by Cisco. "We promise everything is going to be okay. You're suffering from retrograde amnesia. With some neurotherapy we should be able to.." Caitlin stopped talking when she noticed Barry staring at Iris strangely.

"Barry?" Iris said confused.

"I..Iris?" Barry threw himself onto her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and then started to cry.

"You remember me?"

"Why her, but not anyone else?" Joe asked, relieved that Barry wasn't completely gone.

"Frankly, I'm offended." Cisco quipped, crossing his arms.

"Bear. What is it?" Iris whispered, pulling him away and looking at him.

"I'm scared." He responded, taking in fast, jerky breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

Iris pulled him close to her chest. "I promise you, we are doing everything we can to help, okay? You just have to trust us. Can you do that?"

Barry lifted his head up, and nodded, as Iris swiped the tears from his face, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, before continuing to cuddle him for comfort.

It was strange. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was doing this for her when they were in the CCPD, fearing for their lives.

"We'll need to run some tests on him later, but for now why don't we get you home?" Caitlin suggested.

Iris assisted a wobbly Barry off his bed. It was amazing that he managed to get as far as he did - before his legs buckled and he collapsed.

"Aw. Bear." Joe said, helping Iris lift Barry off the floor.

"Can.. can I just stay here? I don't feel like walking anywhere right now." Barry mumbled.

"Yeah. Of course." Cisco replied, pulling out a chair for Barry to sit down in.

Iris pulled another chair out and sat down with Barry, holding his hand tight.

"Do you remember any of this place?" Iris questioned, gesturing at the Cortex.

Barry looked around for a moment. "Flash." He said, but he didn't seem to know what it meant.

"That's right. You're The Flash." Cisco piped up.

"What's your name?" Barry asked Cisco, finally addressing someone other than Iris.

"That's Cisco." Caitlin interjected. "That over there is Joe." She added, pointing to Joe. "And I'm Caitlin."

Barry nodded his head, and then rested it on Iris' shoulder, like a kid seeking comfort from it's mother.

"We should start him on EDMR. It can help integrate the two hemispheres of his brain to help with memory loss."

"Can we have a moment?" Iris asked, looking down at Barry, and then back up at everyone.

"Yeah. Of course." Joe replied and then everyone left the cortex.

"Barry. Do you remember what happened to you? Why you lost your memory?" It was a long shot, but Iris was hoping he would say yes.

Instead Barry slowly shook his head, and tightened his hug.

"You and I were in CCPD, it was taken hostage by 3 people that you - The Flash - took down about a month prior to that." Iris stopped to see if anything sparked, but Barry's face remained expressionless. "You were shot. Once we managed to get you the medical attention you needed, it was too late. Your brain was deprived of oxygen for too long, and you slipped into a coma. 3 weeks later - today - you woke up and didn't remember any of us. Except me. Why me?"

"I.. I don't know. Anything else happen that I should know about?" Barry's voice had finally steadied.

Iris thought about their kiss, how they confessed their love for one another.

"No." The word slipped out of her mouth before she could process what she'd said and why she said it.

"I feel funny." Barry mumbled.

"Let's get Caitlin to start this EDMR thing on you. Okay?"

"Snow." Barry randomly piped up after a few minutes of silence.

Iris smiled. "That's right."

Cisco and Caitlin walked back in the room.

"Is it safe to come in?" Cisco asked, taking slow steps towards them.

"Yeah. Where's my dad?"

"He had to go back to the precinct." Caitlin started. "Duty calls."

"Barry remembered your last name, Caitlin."

"What about me? He remembers you and Caitlin! Did I leave so little of an impression on him?" Cisco scoffed, only half-joking. "Glad to see though." He finished, patting a hand down on Barry who had drifted to sleep on Iris.

"I think we can expect a full recovery from him." Caitlin lowered her voice, trying not to disturb Barry.

"Why don't we lay him down on the bed and let him rest. It's been a stressful 30 minutes." Cisco suggested.

Iris slowly shook her head "I want him next to me for now."

Cisco nodded and then went over to his computer. Caitlin entered the med bay to clean everything up, and Iris rested her head on Barry's.

"I love you, Barry Allen." She whispered, and a small smile formed on Barry's face.

 **So there you go! Once again, sorry if it was a little anticlimactic. BUT! My next story is sort of a sequel to this one, so if you're curious how things are going with Team Flash after this, you can read that one.**

 **I have a question for everyone to wrap things up. Name your favorite chapter, and tell me why.**

' **Til next time,**

 **-Slickest Dino XD**


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